The dog days of Summer and the frustrations of mystery shopping.

Now that we are well into summer and the heat can be draining, I started thinking what are the biggest frustrations, dslikes, annoyances, etc of mystery shopping?

I will start.
1. Entering reports after a long day of shopping.
2. Dealing with idiot schedulers. This includes reaching them and getting timely replys.
3. Creating travel routes.
4. Msp system errors.
5. Stupid editors who ask you for information already in your report or mark you off for bad grammar when there was none.

Now it is your turn.

Shopping Western NY, Northeast and Central PA, and parts of Ohio and West Virginia. Have car will travel anywhere if the monies right.

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Number one isn't an issue for me. If my day is long the reports get entered the following morning. I enjoy creating routes and don't work with difficult schedulers more than one time. Editing issues are also rather rare. I also don't beat myself up when the MSC is having a system issue. I try to get the report done and if their website is a problem I send an email asking them to notify me when it is up and running again.

My only complaint about the dog days of summer, is how hot my car gets jumping in and out of it multiple times during the day. That and having black video shirts

Equal rights for others does not mean fewer rights for you. It's not pie.
"I prefer someone who burns the flag and then wraps themselves up in the Constitution over someone who burns the Constitution and then wraps themselves up in the flag." -Molly Ivins
Never try to teach a pig to sing. It's a waste of your time and it really annoys the pig.

I think the biggest for me is getting tired while driving--not necessarily tired as in sleepy, but tired of the drive. It tends to happen more in the summer. If I have a long day or multi-day route, I'll have an ice chest riding shotgun on the passenger floor. One of the things in there is a damp washcloth. If I feel the tired feeling coming on, I'll pull over, take the washcloth out of the plastic bag, and hold it to the back of my neck for 20-30 seconds and the same on my forehead...very invigorating. Also, if I'm on a multi-day route, I have some sandwiches made. Generally cold cuts and cheese. I'll have one for breakfast and one for lunch, then I'll get something fairly good for dinner, usually delivered to the hotel. I'll make, at most, three days of sandwiches. If I'll be on the road longer than that, I'll pack a couple of Tupperware containers [1 large & 1 medium] a carving knife, and a cutting board. When I'm out of sandwiches, I'll hit a grocery store and buy a pineapple and either strawberries or blueberries [whichever look better]. I'll cut the pineapple into chunks in my room, then that and the betties ride in the cooler on top of the ice. You never know how a hotel's "free" breakfast will be.

.
Have PV-500 & willing to travel.
"Answers are easy. It's asking the right questions which is hard." (The Fourth Doctor, The Face of Evil, 1977)

"Somedays you're the pigeon, somedays you're the statue.” J. Andrew Taylor

"I have never met a man so ignorant that I couldn't learn something from him." Galileo Galilei

1. Entering reports after a long day of shopping.
If I don't enter them while doing them I usually enter them the next day

2. Dealing with idiot schedulers. This includes reaching them and getting timely replys.
Not a problem for me. If a scheduler doesn't meet my requirements I don't do the work
for them. Or in a rare case I do, I add a substantial surcharge to the work so then it dont matter.

3. Creating travel routes.
Doesn't matter to me. I can route 50 locations in under 10 minutes in familar states.
Takes me alittle bit longer in other states as I need to check traffic patterns.

4. Msp system errors.
Doesn't happen often enough, but if it did happen with a particular msc more then once
I would add a surcharge for that

5. Stupid editors who ask you for information already in your report or mark you off for bad grammar when there was none.
See my comment about schedulers.

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There are no stupid questions, but there are a lot of inquisitive idiots
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When you try to please everybody, you end up pleasing nobody

For those of you who hate the heat, especially getting in and out of a hot car, you might want to take a look at a product that is used by a lot of us with MS. Heat has a negative impact on us. It is a neck tie that you soak in cold water, then wring and wrap around your neck. Says cool for hours. I wear outside when walking and keep a cold one in a plastic bag on multiple route shops. They also come a little larger in a small towel format.

Just a little something to help make your shopping easier

[industrialsafetygear.com]

When you learn, teach, when you get, give. Maya Angelou

battery powered necklace fan

[www.walmart.com]

For me the most difficult issue is not ac in the vehicle! Then comes finding parking. The rest isn't too bad.

Did y'all know that many grocery stores either have a microwave for heating or can heat the food for you. Also many gas stations - outside of Jersey - have microwaves that you can use if you ask nicely. I know this is mostly a winter need but with a microwave you can make noodles and put the noodles on ice. Add some canned chicken and a packet of mayo. You have a nice salad, especially if you add tomatoes and cucumbers!

Just lost trying to find a fire pit in a concrete jungle wishing it was a wooded glen...

if it wasn't for bad luck, I would have no luck at all

techman01 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> battery powered necklace fan
>
> [www.walmart.com]
> 4

I have two of these! They're awesome, and a big help! I only wish they were a little more powerful, but for two AA batteries, you can't expect too much.

The brutal heat of the desert, which makes Drive-In shops more difficult.

Also, getting in and out the car in a car that feels like you stepped in an oven...

I LOVE Winter and Fall for shops. I can do them all day long...

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The dog days of Summer and the frustrations of mystery shopping.

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